Horror Movie Review: The Red Tide Massacre (2022)

From writers Palmer Edward and Joe Majestic, and director John A. Russo, comes The Red Tide Massacre. A ‘creature feature’ with an environmental message. One that utilises the real-life 2018 red tide event that occurred in Florida.

What is red tide? Basically, it’s harmful algal bloom that causes devastation to marine life in the area. While red tide is rarely harmful to human beings, the same can’t be said about this film. Be warned, The Red Tide Massacre is so dull and so bad, you might suffer some debilitating brain issues if you watch it.

Set during a red tide event, cop killer Al David (Rich Sands) is able to escape his captors but is pursed through the woods. It’s Sheriff Tom Fuller (Michael Paré) who eventually corners the man, shooting him, whereupon he falls in the polluted water. He’s dead, right?

Obviously not, as this red tide ends up transforming Al into a monster.

You know how this goes. Monster Al stalks around in the woods, killing off extraneous characters, while law enforcement try to work out what is going on. There’s a subplot about folklore surrounding a Yeti-style monster referred to as a ‘skunk ape’ and a budding romance between reporter Rio Lee (Susan Elle) and the sheriff’s son, Tommy (Sam Schweikert). The latter is one of the major players, as he doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, but ends up involved as the monstrous rampage continues and the bodies pile up.

Will he be able to stop the red tide massacre and find love?

If you’re first thought upon reading this breakdown of the story is how familiar it reads, you are correct. The Red Tide Massacre doesn’t have an inch of originality in it, borrowing so much, and often doing it worse.

The story is bland and boring, the pacing is lethargic, the characters are basic and uninteresting, and the monster is so bad, it almost seems like it was done on purpose. Even the one thing it could have easily got right, the environmental message, is tacked on and sinks without a trace. Staggering from set piece to set piece, none of which are fun or exciting, the lack of effort or care becomes more and more apparent. Even the cast seem to give up, although that was more likely the moment they stepped on set.